Game developers sure know how to stir up a community. All a company has to do to get its already excitable fanbase to froth at the mouth, come out at weird hours and basically act rabid, is to announce major changes to combat. Even if the changes are meant to correct combat issues like responsiveness and consistency, as in the case of Fallen Earth, the general population will be shocked into rage or unbreakable silence at hearing the news.
iTZKooPA brought up the hot button issue as part of his PAX Prime 2010 powwow with Marie Croall, Senior Game Design for Fallen Earth. She revealed that the combat changes began back in the Blood Sports patch, although unannounced. Icarus will start to drastically alter combat as we know it in patch v1.7. In this video, Croall and iTZKooPA also discuss the just-started anniversary festivities, further character customization, Progress Towns, the just released Premium Mobile Application and more.
These so-called ‘State of the Game’ addresses are a fantastic way for developers to talk about a product. Most of them focus on the future, rather than the current incarnation, but any straight talk from a developer, be it producer or writer, is a godsend for players. Few addresses are truly notable, but the latest from Dave “Archangel” Haydysch, a producer for Fallen Earth, is one of the few.
The first-person shooter MMOG will be receiving (at least) two bloated patches by the end of the year, according to Archangel. The leader, which is scheduled for September, will focus on overhauling combat and factions. It will be one of “several major patches” to roll out “major changes” to these two important areas.
We will be changing some of the formulas to create a more fast-paced, exciting combat experience. Major changes coming soon involve adjusting high levels of mitigation, tweaking the random damage spread and making armor require statistics (like Faction or Strength) and character level (rather than Armor Use skill). However, Armor Use skill will still determine how well armor performs. After these changes are in place, we will be making adjustments to Faction skills, Mutations and regular skills, and a balance pass for Items.
The second patch was more teased, rather than discussed. All we know is that Factions and Clan Strongholds are scheduled for a December debut.
As a sidenote, the premium Mobile Application should be available in the next few weeks. Read the full ‘State of the Game’ address here.
iTZKooPA will be covering the aforementioned content as part of the PAX Prime 2010. Stay tuned.
Game developers sure know how to stir up a community. All a company has to do to get its already excitable fanbase to froth at the mouth, come out at weird hours and basically act rabid, is to announce major changes to combat. Even if the changes are meant to correct combat issues like responsiveness and consistency, as in the case of Fallen Earth, the general population will be shocked into rage or unbreakable silence at hearing the news.
